About Us

Since its founding by Benedictine Sisters from St. Joseph, Minnesota, in 1878, St. Mary's Elementary School has been dedicated to the education of children from the Bismarck-Mandan area.

St. Mary's Elementary School nurtures the spiritual and intellectual growth of our students, emphasizing that the gift of leadership flows from service to others.

The values of the Catholic Church are taught in class, celebrated in the Sacraments, practiced in servant-leadership training, and demonstrated in community outreach.

St. Mary's Elementary School curriculum prepares students to be lifelong Catholics by surrounding them with Christ's teachings and the traditions of the Catholic Church. Students study Jesus' teachings, God's Holy Law, the Sacraments, and the precepts and oral traditions of the Catholic Church.

As a school, we celebrate the Eucharistic Liturgy (Mass) weekly, in meaningful activities celebrating Feast Days, and in special liturgical seasons throughout the year; in addition, each class plans, prepares, and leads the liturgy of the Mass on a rotating basis.

In the classroom, students study and prepare for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation, in collaboration with Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary programs. All students are given the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the seasons of Advent and Lent.

Students are taught to serve one another and to lead by example, as Christ did. In this way, our Servant-Leadership Program allows our students to practice the principles of Christ's teaching, leading them to become strong, independent adults with high moral values.

St. Mary's Elementary School was established in 1878 as St. Mary's Academy and Boarding School, Bismarck's first school. St. Mary's served as the only Catholic School in Bismarck for nearly 70 years and as such set the standard for Catholic School education.

Continuing in this rich tradition, St. Mary's Elementary School is committed to respond to the call to be a school with the MISSION OF CHRIST, to celebrate faith, proclaim the Gospel, become servant leaders, and provide a quality education.

In 1878 Fr. Chrysostom Foffa, OSB, built a school at Bismarck, Dakota Territory and staffed it with Benedictine sisters from St. Joseph, Minnesota. The Sisters' reputation for discipline and educational thoroughness tempered with religion was a welcome contrast to the rawness of frontier life on the Dakota prairie, and so pupils, many non-Catholic, flocked to the "Sister School" that became St. Mary's Elementary School- and it has continuously provided the Bismarck Community with educational options tied to the Catholic Faith since 1878.

Under the guidance of such pioneers as Sr. Magdalen Walker, who served as principal from 1898-1943, St. Mary's Elementary School has educated generations of community, state, and national leaders.

• Religious Education
• Full Sacramental Programs
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Physical Education
• Music
• Art
• Reading
• English
• Health